Sex-dependent relationships between PFAS and placental transcriptomics identified by weighted gene co-expression analysis.

Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are environmental toxicants associated with adverse neonatal outcomes. The exact mechanisms by which PFAS impairs neonatal health are undefined, but the placenta is a likely target.

Objective: We applied a systems biology approach to identify placental RNA co-expression modules (gene sets) associated with PFAS exposure and birth weight.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas or Biomass for Cooking and Effects on Blood Pressure: Results from the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) Trial.

Background: Exposure to household air pollution from burning coal and biomass for cooking is associated with higher blood pressure and other adverse indicators of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. Evidence demonstrating that switching from biomass to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) will reduce blood pressure is limited.

Methods: As part of a larger trial of 3200 households, we conducted a randomized trial of 342 women aged 40 to 79 years who lived in households using biomass for cooking in rural areas of Guatemala, India, Peru, and Rwanda to assess the effects of a free LPG stove and fuel intervention.

Household air pollution and blood pressure among adult women participants of the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial: An exposure-response analysis.

Background: Exposure to air pollutants, like fine particulate matter (PM), has been linked to higher blood pressure (BP). Few studies have examined this association in biomass-dependent settings. We seek to determine whether high exposure during a 16 month period was associated with an increase in BP among older adult women over the study period and to determine whether short-term increases in exposure were associated with higher coincident blood pressure.

Prenatal pyrethroid exposure, placental gene network modules, and neonatal neurobehavior.

Prenatal pesticide exposure may adversely affect child neurodevelopment which may partly arise from impairing the placenta's vital role in fetal development. In a cohort of pregnant farmworkers from Thailand (N = 248), we examined the links between urinary metabolites of pyrethroid pesticides during pregnancy, placental gene expression networks derived from transcriptome sequencing, and newborn neurobehavior assessed using the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scales (NNNS) at 5 weeks of age. Focusing on the 21 gene network modules in the placenta identified by Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis, our analysis revealed significant associations between metabolites and nine distinct modules, and between thirteen modules and NNNS, with eight modules showing overlap.

Urinary pesticide biomarkers from adolescence to young adulthood in an agricultural setting in Ecuador: Study of secondary exposure to pesticides among children, adolescents, and adults (ESPINA) 2016 and 2022 examination data.

A widespread reliance on pesticides in agriculture has raised concerns regarding the increased risks of exposure among individuals living in agricultural communities. This article presents urinary pesticide metabolite concentrations for 665 participants in the "Study of Secondary Exposure to Pesticides among Children, Adolescents, and Adults" (ESPINA), which were collected during two follow-up assessments: July to October 2016 (Follow-up Year [FUY]-8b; = 529) and July to September 2022 (FUY-14a; = 505) in the agricultural community of Pedro Moncayo, Ecuador. Using first morning void urine samples, concentrations of 19 pesticides or their metabolites were measured including four organophosphates, three pyrethroids, and six neonicotinoids insecticides, two herbicides, two fungicides, and two insect repellents, for the 2016 examination (FUY-8b).

Associations Between Self-Reported Experiences of Discrimination, Socioeconomic and Racial Polarization, and Birth Outcomes in the Atlanta African American Maternal-Child Cohort.

Background: Structural racism measures based on publicly available data alone do not capture the breadth of lived experiences of racism or their impacts. Few studies incorporate measures of lived experience in analyses of structural racism at the neighborhood level. We investigated associations between self-reported experiences of racism, measures of racialized economic segregation at the census tract level (a proxy for structural racism), and birth outcomes among pregnant African American people.

Associations of prenatal tobacco and insecticide co-exposures with neurobehavioral responses among children born to pregnant women exposed to cannabis.

Background: Cannabis and tobacco are contaminated with insecticides and used during pregnancy in the U.S., raising concerns for co-exposures and compounded neurodevelopmental effects.

Concurrent associations of glyphosate, dithiocarbamate fungicides, and PFAS with body fat composition and BMI in adolescents from agricultural communities.

Background: Dithiocarbamate fungicides, glyphosate, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemicals found in agricultural settings. These chemicals have been linked to anthropometric indicators, but findings are contradictory. This study evaluated associations of PFAS, glyphosate, and dithiocarbamate metabolites (ethylene thiourea [ETU] and propylene thiourea [PTU]) with anthropometric indicators among adolescents in agricultural settings.

Evaluating Household Income and Tobacco Exposure as Moderators of the Association Between Prenatal Cannabis Exposure and Newborn Neurobehavior.

Prevalence rates for substance exposure during pregnancy are increasing, with cannabis emerging as one of the most common substances used. Infants with prenatal cannabis exposure face a greater risk of neurobehavioral vulnerabilities. The current study sought to examine the association between prenatal cannabis exposure and newborn neurobehavior, while also considering potential moderators (i.

Sex-Dependent Relationships Between PFAS and Placental Transcriptomics Identified by Weighted Gene Co-Expression Analysis.

Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are environmental toxicants associated with adverse neonatal outcomes. The exact mechanisms by which PFAS impairs neonatal health are undefined, but the placenta is a likely target.

Objective: We applied a systems biology approach to identify placental RNA co-expression modules (gene sets) associated with PFAS exposure and birth weight.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), Occupational Exposures and Thyroid Function among U.S. and Canadian Firefighters: A Cross-sectional Study.

Objective: Evaluate the association between serum polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) levels and thyroid anatomy and function in firefighters.

Methods: 259 firefighters provided a blood sample and underwent thyroid ultrasound. Blood serum levels were tested for thyroid function tests and PBDEs -47, -85, -99, -100, -153, and -154 (ng/g lipid weight).

Association of prenatal and early-life polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exposure with dental caries in childhood.

Background: Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), generated through incomplete combustion of organic materials such as coal and wood, and through activities, like charbroiling meat and smoking tobacco, negatively impact children's health. This study evaluates early-life PAH exposure in children from Southern India and its association with early childhood caries (ECC).

Methods: We utilized maternal and child urine samples from the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) cohort to measure PAH metabolites: 2-naphthol (2-NAP) and 1-hydroxypyrene (1-PYR).

Unraveling the Molecular Links between Fine Particulate Matter Exposure and Early Birth Risks in African American Mothers: A Metabolomics Study in the Atlanta African American Maternal-Child Cohort.

In the United States, African Americans (AA) are disproportionately exposed to elevated levels of ambient fine particulate matter (PM) while suffering from the highest rates of early births. To elucidate the largely unknown underlying mechanism, we analyzed serum metabolomics from 330 participants in the Atlanta AA Maternal-Child Cohort and performed high-throughput mediation analysis to identify intermediate metabolites and pathways linking PM to early births. Energy-metabolism-related metabolites (carnitine and adenosine triphosphate), along with lysoPE(20:3) and acetylcysteine, were both associated with PM exposure and elevated early birth risks.

Prenatal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance exposures and DNA methylation among newborns in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes program.

Gestation is a vulnerable window when exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may impact child development and health. Epigenetic modification, including DNA methylation (DNAm), may be one mechanism linking prenatal PFAS exposure to offspring outcomes. We tested associations between prenatal PFAS and newborn DNAm in 1017 participants from 6 cohorts in the US Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes consortium.

Association between Personal Exposure to Household Air Pollution and Glycated Hemoglobin among Women in Rural Areas of Guatemala, India, Peru, and Rwanda: Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial.

Background: Household air pollution from biomass cookstoves is a major concern in low- and middle-income countries because it may be linked with increasing rates of metabolic disorders such as diabetes. We assessed cross-sectional associations between household air pollution concentrations and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels.

Methods: We analyzed data from 346 women 40 to years of age who cooked with biomass fuel and were enrolled in the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) Trial in Guatemala, India, Peru, and Rwanda.

Assessment of human exposure to uncommon industrial toxicants in Glynn County, Georgia.

Coastal Glynn County, Georgia, is home to four hazardous sites on the United States EPA's National Priorities List. Toxicants of concern include mercury, the pesticide toxaphene, and Aroclor 1268, a mixture of highly chlorinated polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs); these toxicants are known to persist in the local environment and/or regional aquatic life, including local seafood. At the invitation of, and in partnership with, local community leaders and environmental groups, we conducted a human exposure study in Glynn County.

Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants and associations with child behavior problems at 1-5 years.

Existing studies have found inconclusive associations between prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and offspring neurodevelopment. However, there is a significant gap in research involving African American populations, who face higher levels of exposure to many POPs relative to other groups. In this study, we assessed the joint effects of PFAS and PBDEs on child behavior problems among mother-child pairs in Atlanta, Georgia.

Perceived racial discrimination and tobacco and cannabis use in pregnant Black Americans: The mediating role of depressive symptoms.

The objective of the current study was to assess the relationships between perceived racial discrimination, symptoms of depression, and tobacco and cannabis use in a sample of pregnant Black Americans. We collected data from 668 pregnant participants, in Atlanta, GA, once at 8- to 14- weeks' gestation and again at 24- to 30-weeks' gestation. We administered the Timeline Follow-back Interview to assess self-reported tobacco and cannabis use and measured metabolites of nicotine (cotinine) and cannabis (11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol) from urine samples.

A birth cohort observational study to assess the association of prenatal biomarkers of organophosphates with visual attention, recognition memory and information processing among Thai infants.

Background: Organophosphates (OPs) are neurotoxicants used to control pests on crops (e.g., rice).

Housing characteristics, dietary patterns, and sociodemographic characteristics as predictors of persistent organic pollutant exposure among African American pregnant women in Atlanta.

Background: Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) has been linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Existing disparities in exposure across populations highlight the need for identifying modifiable risk factors. Here, we investigated the determinants of serum levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in pregnant African American women (N = 54).

Baseline associations between exposure to metals and systolic and diastolic blood pressure among women in the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network Trial.

Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are metals that occur naturally in the environment and are present in biomass fuels, such as wood. When these fuels are burned, they can release Pb and Cd into the air, leading to exposure through inhalation. Studies of exposure to metals and health outcomes suggest harmful impacts, including cardiovascular diseases.

Sex-specific effects of in utero exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on placental development.

Background: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent organic pollutants that may impact placental function, and potentially gestational age acceleration (GAA), a deviation from reported and predicted gestational age. GAA potentially represents differences in cell maturation in response to a challenging environment.

Objective: This study aimed to characterize the effects of individual and mixtures of PFAS on GAA, cell composition, birth length, and birthweight.

Placental PFAS concentrations are associated with perturbations of placental DNA methylation.

The placenta is crucial for fetal development, is affected by PFAS toxicity, and evidence is accumulating that gestational PFAS perturb the epigenetic activity of the placenta. Gestational PFAS exposure can adversely affect offspring, yet individual and cumulative impacts of PFAS on the placental epigenome remain underexplored. Here, we conducted an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) to examine the relationships between placental PFAS levels and DNA methylation in a cohort of mother-infant dyads in Arkansas (N = 151).